He originally trained Rock-typePokémon, but has, since the second episode he appeared in, diversified. He is an experienced cook and caretaker by nature, so he always makes scrumptious food both for Pokémon and for humans. One of his best known character traits is that he falls in love with every pretty woman he meets, particularly Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. He has always held a supporting role in the series, usually contributing more in terms of wisdom and comedic antics than the action and battles of the series.

Brock has had two notable musical appearances. One is the Japanese ending theme タケシのパラダイス Takeshi's Paradise, which is about his love for women and his determination to find love despite often appearing foolish and getting heartbroken. There is a running joke about him singing this song often in the anime, since it's the only song he knows. The other is the Pokémon Karaokémon song Two Perfect Girls, which is about his love of both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

He also has tan skin, notably darker than the skin of any other major character in the series. Because of these traits, there is a heated debate about what race Brock is, as many think he may be black, Latino, or Asian.

Brock is the tallest of Ash's friends, and the closest to looking like an adult. Next to actual adult characters, however, it is clear that he is still a teenager.

Not counting temporary outfits, he has worn three different outfits over the span of the anime, all of which have had the colors orange, green, and brown in them.

Character

Brock is considered the most mature, wise and level-headed of the main characters, and he is debatably the most intelligent character as well. He often acts as an older brother and caretaker to the other characters and a voice of reason in disputes. He will usually place others before him and will help and support his friends even against his better judgment or at his own expense. While he is not shown to battle often, he can understand the situations and strategies in any Pokémon battle, and often explains them to the other characters. His wisdom is possibly derived from how observant he is; he can tell just by sight how a Pokémon is feeling and spot the differences between the various Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

Brock always carries books and maps with him, and thus is usually the character who knows where the group is headed and what they can do when they get there, though in Advanced Generation this role was mostly taken over by the PokéNav. He also carries a lot of other supplies, such as potions and cookware, as well as practical tools like a brush and pocket knife; in The School of Hard Knocks, the extent of his preparedness and comically large capacity of his bag was demonstrated, as he pulled out a table and full tea set out of his backpack. He is a domestic, and grooms not only his Pokémon but also those of his friends with whom he travels. He handles all the cooking and cleaning for his friends.

Despite this, all his maturity and rationality leaves him completely at the sight of a beautiful woman, as he falls in love with every pretty girl he meets. Brock has a desperate need for female companionship which grows worse as he fails to gain it. He will do anything and everything he thinks will impress women, which inevitably ends with his heart being broken every time. A few women have shown interest in him as well, such as Erika, Wilhemina, Temaku and Lucy, but most do not notice him or are not interested. No matter how many times he is disappointed, though, Brock remains determined to find a girl to start a relationship with, and has indicated several times he would stop traveling with Ash and stay with the girl if this happened. This behavior tends to wear on the nerves of other characters, and Misty and Max have both commonly dragged Brock away from women by his ear. Some of Brock's own Pokémon, most notably Croagunk, have attacked him for getting too flirtateous with women.

His goals have played a passive role at best in his character's activity and development. Unlike other characters, who aspire to achieve and excel in competitive fields like Pokémon training and Pokémon contests, his aim to become a great Pokémon Breeder is a quiet one and thus does not get showcased frequently. His other goal, to find a girlfriend, is similar to Team Rocket's quest to capture Pikachu in that both are for comedy and thus doomed to fail. His role has always been purely one as support for other main characters, but some fans find this disappointing and want him to take a more active role in the series to make his character more interesting.

History

Not much is known about his early childhood, except that his first Pokémon was his Onix, which he received as a gift at the age of 10. Sometime after, his father, Flint, left home to become a great trainer. When he never returned, his mother, Lola, left them as well, leaving Brock to take care of his siblings, as well as their house and Pewter Gym, by himself (though the English version of Showdown in Pewter City has Flint claim she died, and some speculate he was lying). However, Flint eventually returned home considering himself a failure, and instead of returning to his family he donned a disguise and sold rocks as souvenirs at the edge of town. After Brock awarded Ash the Boulderbadge, Flint came forward and confessed who he was. Flint took on the responsibilities of the Pewter Gym and his family, leaving Brock free to journey with Ash and Misty.

Brock only became the Gym Leader because he felt it was his responsibility, and he admitted to Ash that he would rather care for Pokémon than battle them. It is his dream to become a great breeder, and when Flint took back control of the Gym, Brock was allowed to start following this dream. Most notably, he took care of a Vulpix that belonged to a breeder named Susie. Shortly before Vulpix was returned, Brock used it in a Pokémon Beauty Contest.

Brock was also able to meet and make advances towards the many beautiful women he met. At first, he was more casual about approaching women, such as the Officer Jenny in Cerulean City, and more modest as well, such as when he met Melanie. However, he became more open and passionate towards almost all single young women as time progressed.

Brock briefly left the show during the Orange Islands saga to work for Professor Ivy on Valencia Island and so is only seen in a couple of cameos in the second movie. While there, something happened that will probably remain secret as Brock will only huddle and say "that name" whenever he is asked about it. (Brock does mention his work for her in Destiny Deoxys, though this line was added in the dub.) After this incident, Brock returned to Kanto where he was found by Delia Ketchum, who helped him to regain his strength. Brock then became a rival to Mimey until he rejoined Ash and Misty as the three traveled to Johto. They stayed together for the entire region, but at the end of this journey, the three went their separate ways, with Brock's help requested at home by his father.

Upon his return home, Brock was dismayed to find that his mother had returned and commandeered the gym, turning the Rock-type haven into a brightly decorated Water-type den. Brock battled her for the honor of Rock-types and won, promising his brother Forrest that he would become Gym Leader someday.

After that, Brock returned to follow Ash through Hoenn, along with their new friends May and Max, and then through Kanto again as Ash took on the Battle Frontier. He left extremely briefly when the Advanced Generation dissolved to visit his home, and is now traveling with Ash and Dawn in Sinnoh.

Brock is among the longest-lived main characters in the anime, only being absent from the Orange Islands season and thus ranked under only the permanent characters of Ash, Pikachu, Jessie, James, and Meowth. Because of this, some fans believe he is too worn-out as a character and should be removed from the cast. Others believe he has established himself as a permanent character of the main cast, and do not see him being removed from the cast any time in the near future.

Pokémon

This listing is of Brock's Pokémon as of the most recent Japanese episode.

Released

In the games

Brock's title is "The Rock-Solid Pokémon Trainer". Brock is quite proud of his rock-hard willpower, and uses Rock-type Pokémon to complement this.

Brock is one of the few truly serious professional Pokémon trainers in the Pewter City area. He's tough, people respect him, and most admire him. Supposedly, it's hard to get him to laugh or drop his serious demeanor, but when he does, he can't stop.

In addition to the Boulderbadge, Brock gives out TM34 for Bide in the Generation Igames. In their Generation III remakes, he gives out TM39 for Rock Tomb instead. In Generation II, he doesn't give out a TM. In both the Generation I games and their Generation III remakes, one trainer will not allow for trainers to pass onto Route 3 until they have defeated Brock. Instead, when trainers try to lead, he will lead them all the way back to the Pewter Gym.

"Wow, it's not often that we get a challenger from Johto. I'm Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader. I'm an expert on rock-type Pokémon. My Pokémon are impervious to most physical attacks. You'll have a hard time inflicting any damage. Come on!"

In the manga

In the Pokémon Special manga

Brock debuts in Onix is On! of the Red, Green & Blue chapter, however he is mentioned by Green in Wanted: Pikachu!. To access to Brock a trainer must win several rounds of battles against special trainers of the Gym, every single one of those battles are watched by him from a special room. In this round Brock is a shirtless Gym Leader who has for main Pokémon an Onix and for secondary a Graveler and a Geodude.

Pokémon

On hand

Released

In the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Since the Electric Tale of Pikachu is based heavily on the anime, Brock's appearances in it are mostly comparable to his anime appearances. However, he is not constantly traveling with Ash in the manga.

In the TFG

Trivia

The Japanese name of the Boulderbadge is the Grey Badge.

Most official sources do not give Brock a last name. However, several sources suggest that in the anime, his last name is Harrison. In the July 2006 issue of K-Zone Magazine, Eric Stuart was interviewed and stated that Brock's last name is Harrison.

Brock has the most airtime out of all of Ash's companions, being present in every season except for the Orange Islands saga.

In the anime, Brock's house is located directly behind the Pewter Gym. His room is only seen briefly in AG034, but what is seen of it shows that it is decorated in a traditional Japanese style, including fusuma, a tansu chest, and a futon for a bed.